Plans for Returning to School, February 3, 2021

Dear PWS Community,

During the first month of 2021, we have enjoyed a healthy and safe return to school for those on our campus. We are grateful to our teachers, staff, students, and parents for upholding our health and safety guidelines. Our collaborative efforts allow us to continue to educate your children on-site and at home and create the bond that keeps us uplifted during this challenging time. Thank you!

PWS continues to closely monitor updated COVID-19 guidance and the case counts within the tri-county area (Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington). The Pandemic Response Team regularly attends meetings with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and are in communication with the local health department and other private school leaders. In addition, we regularly meet internally with teachers and staff in our school to assess the factors we must consider as we move forward this school year.

Plans to Transition:

We are pleased to announce that Grade 4 has returned to campus on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as of February 1. Plans are underway to return upper grades and eventually high school in a staggered approach beginning in March, following a model very similar to the original hybrid schedule we shared at the beginning of the year.

After a hybrid return to campus, students in upper grades and high school may choose to attend in-person for the scheduled on-site days or remain at home and Zoom in to join their class. Because of technology limitations and sound interference, it will not be possible for these classes to be held outdoors.

Additional technology has been purchased and teachers and staff are working hard with the ever-changing complexities that present themselves. Fortunately, COVID-19 case counts are falling and there is light at the end of the tunnel. We expect to bring classes back in stages beginning in March, with grades 5 and 6 on-site Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and grades 7 and 8 on-site Tuesdays and Thursdays. Grades 9-12 require a bit more planning and we will share specific plans as soon as possible. Metrics and other practical considerations continue to guide our timeline. In the meantime, teachers may invite cohorts on-site for occasional visits.

How We’ve Evolved:

In September, we opened with Early Childhood on-site five days a week under Emergency Child Care (ECC) guidance. Grades 1-3 also opened on-site (mostly outdoors) under ECC jurisdiction on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while learning remotely on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students in stable cohorts in grades 4-12 were in distance learning, but some groups had opportunities to come on-site under Limited In-Person Instruction guidelines.

Following the Governor’s announcement in late December and changes to the Ready Schools, Safe Learners (RSSL) guidance and re-opening metrics in January, some guidance changed that will help us to bring even more students back on-site. Schools are still required to follow all health and safety protocols (including entry screening, cohorting, distancing, mask wearing, hand hygiene, ventilation, cleaning, and disinfecting). The major shift that occurred is that reopening guidance changed from required to advisory.

The shift from required to advisory allowed us to move Grades 1-3 out of the Early Learning Division’s ECC jurisdiction. These grades are effectively operating the same, but are now under the ODE RSSL Hybrid Model guidelines, which allow for slightly larger classes.

For over five months, our youngest grades have been on campus in-person with great success. The commitment to health and safety protocols has ensured that we have had no transmission within our cohorts. Our intention is to continue this track record. As a reminder, should a positive case occur in an on-site cohort, the members of that cohort would be asked to quarantine for 14 days. Contact tracing logs are meticulously kept and communication to impacted families will occur first, followed by communication to the entire community.

Thank you again for your support and patience as we work together during this extraordinary time.

Please expect a communication from us next week regarding the governance work and staffing plans for the 2021-22 school year. As always, if you have any questions, please email leadershipteam@portlandwaldorf.org.

With warm wishes,

Shanti, Connie and Elizabeth